John & Claudine
We're getting married... on a cruise ship!
May 24th, 2026
John & Claudine
They say every cloud has a silver lining and let’s face it, Covid was a damn big cloud, so you’d have to look pretty hard to find any silver in 2020. However, take a random dating site, introduce a Disney girl to a London cabbie who moonlights as a TV & Movie extra, throw in a little white lie or two about age and height, mix in a brief window of opportunity to meet socially between lockdowns and ta da … The Barmy Arms in Twickenham becomes the backdrop for the opening credits to our love story.
Fast forward to April 2024, sharing a love of travel, the sea and now a slight addiction to cruising, there’s an epic proposal at the top of Mount Aksla in Alesund, Norway. When we’re not working or exploring the world, we love nothing more than being Windsor residents, grabbing a bacon roll from Aunty Janice’s breakfast van on a Saturday morning before a big long walk in The Great Park.
As for that search for the silver lining, we went one better, we found our happily ever after.
Why A Cruise?
Our joint love of cruising began back in May 2023, when we embarked on a four-night sailing to Amsterdam on board P&O Ventura. Since then, we’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed seven more cruise adventures taking in Northern Europe, Norwegian Fjords, Mediterranean and the Canary Islands, even convincing some family and friends to join us. It will not surprise you to know that we have a few more planned including our “Titanic” trip, sailing on board Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to New York.
So, when everyone advised us to do our wedding the way we wanted to, there was only one option... getting married at sea! And why not onboard the very ship where our cruising adventures together began; P&O Ventura.
Our wedding will take place on a 7-night cruise from Southampton to Northern Spain and France. The cruise departs on 23rd May and returns to Southampton on 30th May 2026. The ceremony will be on 24th May, which is the first 'sea day' of the cruise.
As honoured as we will be to have you join us on our special day, this is your holiday and we hope that you enjoy everything that the ship and ports have to offer. As seasoned cruisers, we are happy to advise and answer any questions you might have, to help you make the most of this adventure.
As honoured as we will be to have you join us on our special day, this is your holiday and we hope that you enjoy everything that the ship and ports have to offer. As seasoned cruisers, we are happy to advise and answer any questions you might have, to help you make the most of this adventure.
Itinerary
Saturday 23rd May
Southampton. Dep 1700
Southampton. Dep 1700
Sunday 24th May
Day At Sea - Our Wedding Day!
Day At Sea - Our Wedding Day!
Monday 25th May
La Coruna, Spain. Arr 0900, Dep 1700
La Coruna, Spain. Arr 0900, Dep 1700
Tuesday 26th May
Gijon, Spain. Arr 0800, Dep 1700
Wednesday 27th May
Santander, Spain. Arr 0800, Dep 1700
Thursday 28th May
La Rochelle, France. Arr 0900, Dep 1700
Friday 29th May
Day At Sea
Saturday 30th May
Southampton. Arr 0700
Gijon, Spain. Arr 0800, Dep 1700
Wednesday 27th May
Santander, Spain. Arr 0800, Dep 1700
Thursday 28th May
La Rochelle, France. Arr 0900, Dep 1700
Friday 29th May
Day At Sea
Saturday 30th May
Southampton. Arr 0700
P&O Ventura Cruise Ship
For details of how to book this cruise, please go to the 'Guest Info & RSVP' section.
Our wedding is in...
4
months
23
days
How do I book this cruise?
We recommend booking either through Pure Holidays Cruises or Seascanner.co.uk
We have booked several of our cruises, including this one, through Pure Holidays Cruises. They are an independent travel agent who offer excellent customer service. Booking through P&O directly is usually more expensive than using a travel agent.
To book through Pure Holidays Cruises, go to www.pureholidayscruises.co.uk/cruises/pando-cruises/N610
To book through Seascanner, go to www.seascanner.co.uk/travels/p-o-cruises-ventura-western-europe-7-nights-VE24822?productCode=N610_20260523
Whichever agent you use, please tell them that your TWID is 'AA4'. TWID is 'Travelling With ID', and indicates you are part of the wedding party.... each adult will then receive an additional £25 per person on-board credit!
There are two options when booking this cruise. 'Select Fare' is the more expensive option but offers more flexibility in choosing your cabin location and dining time. This fare usually comes with the choice of either onboard credit, free parking at the cruise terminal, or bus transfer to Southampton. The second option is 'Saver Fare', which is generally cheaper but your cabin allocation and dining time is determined by the cruise line.
We have opted for a Select Fare, which allowed us to choose our own cabin, we can dine at whatever time suits us each evening, and we also received credit to spend onboard the ship.
We are happy to provide help and advice with choosing or booking your cabin; please contact us using the form below.
We have booked several of our cruises, including this one, through Pure Holidays Cruises. They are an independent travel agent who offer excellent customer service. Booking through P&O directly is usually more expensive than using a travel agent.
To book through Pure Holidays Cruises, go to www.pureholidayscruises.co.uk/cruises/pando-cruises/N610
To book through Seascanner, go to www.seascanner.co.uk/travels/p-o-cruises-ventura-western-europe-7-nights-VE24822?productCode=N610_20260523
Whichever agent you use, please tell them that your TWID is 'AA4'. TWID is 'Travelling With ID', and indicates you are part of the wedding party.... each adult will then receive an additional £25 per person on-board credit!
There are two options when booking this cruise. 'Select Fare' is the more expensive option but offers more flexibility in choosing your cabin location and dining time. This fare usually comes with the choice of either onboard credit, free parking at the cruise terminal, or bus transfer to Southampton. The second option is 'Saver Fare', which is generally cheaper but your cabin allocation and dining time is determined by the cruise line.
We have opted for a Select Fare, which allowed us to choose our own cabin, we can dine at whatever time suits us each evening, and we also received credit to spend onboard the ship.
We are happy to provide help and advice with choosing or booking your cabin; please contact us using the form below.
What time do I need to get to Southampton on embarkation day?
A few weeks before embarkation you will be given a boarding time, which will be between 1100 and 1600 (the ship departs at 1700). However, many of us will be staying in Southampton the night before, and we would love it if you were able to join us for a few pre-cruise drinks on the evening of Friday 22nd May.
For anyone choosing to drive to Southampton, there are various parking options. You can pre-book parking at the cruise terminal, take advantage of booking a 'park-and-cruise' deal with a nearby hotel, in which you would get 1 night's hotel accommodation plus 8 nights parking, or book a private parking space through www.yourparkingspace.co.uk
We have driven to and stayed in Southampton several times, so if you would like any recommendations on either hotels or parking, please let us know using the form below.
For anyone choosing to drive to Southampton, there are various parking options. You can pre-book parking at the cruise terminal, take advantage of booking a 'park-and-cruise' deal with a nearby hotel, in which you would get 1 night's hotel accommodation plus 8 nights parking, or book a private parking space through www.yourparkingspace.co.uk
We have driven to and stayed in Southampton several times, so if you would like any recommendations on either hotels or parking, please let us know using the form below.
What happens on the Wedding Day?
Our wedding will take place at 1530 on Sunday 24th May. You won't have far to travel, so can have a leisurely morning enjoying all the wonderful facilities and organised events on board. The ship's theme for that evening is formal, so our wedding outfits should all fit in perfectly. A corner of one of the main dining rooms will be reserved for us at 1800 to enjoy dinner all together, and then we can party the night away.
P&O Ceremonies team will get in touch with us at the beginning of 2026 to discuss and coordinate the finer details of our day, and we'll be sure to share the information with you on this website. We will need to confirm at that stage how many people are going to be in our wedding party, so if you haven't booked by then but are intending to, please let us know so we can include you in the numbers.
P&O Ceremonies team will get in touch with us at the beginning of 2026 to discuss and coordinate the finer details of our day, and we'll be sure to share the information with you on this website. We will need to confirm at that stage how many people are going to be in our wedding party, so if you haven't booked by then but are intending to, please let us know so we can include you in the numbers.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the cruise or need help with booking or choosing a cabin, please send us a message. If you are able to join us on this adventure, please let us know once you have booked.